1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a computer-implemented teaching apparatus, and more specifically, to a teaching system capable of recognizing handwritten input.
2. Description of Related Art
Current teaching methods typically revolve around a classroom with the simultaneous teaching of a group of students by a single teacher. This has the advantage of using teachers efficiently, and is the dominant form of teaching today. However, it has several disadvantages.
For many students, the classroom is slow and inefficient because students have varying levels of skill, and the students can easily become bored. Typically, there is no immediate feedback for students in the form of quizzes or exercises, and thus correction of any mistakes or misconceptions in the learning process must come much later. Usually, there is little or no explanation regarding mistakes, thereby hindering the student's ability to get immediate feedback on the learning process. Further, there is significant teacher effort in grading or correcting quizzes and other exercises.
There have been numerous attempts to overcome some the deficiencies of the classroom setting. One example is the tutoring method, wherein a single student is instructed by a single teacher or tutor. This has the advantage of being very efficient for the student, because the student's progress is not hampered by the interaction of other students. Moreover, it provides one-on-one interaction with the tutor, so that the student can progress at their own pace. In addition, tutoring provides immediate feedback and correction of the student's mistakes, thereby facilitating the learning process. On the other hand, tutoring is a very inefficient use of teacher time and thus is rarely used.
Another example is a computer-assisted instructional (CAI) system. CAI systems have the advantage that students can interact one-on-one with the system and thus progress at their own pace. However, prior art CAI systems have numerous disadvantages as well. For example, prior art CAI systems typically consist of automated practice drills or tests, and provide little in the way of instruction. Moreover, the teacher cannot observe the student's learning process and provide appropriate help at those points in the process where mistakes are made.
Thus, there is a need in the art for enhanced instructional methods and apparatus.